As people age their driving changes. They self-regulate. Strategically they choose their journeys carefully. They select the destination, the day and the time of the day to minimize the complexity of driving. They do not drive at night or in the rain unless they must. They avoid the awkward turns across the traffic. Sometimes they avoid the slip roads on to the motorways. All follow known changes in mental, physical and sensory abilities.

Tactically they adjust the way that they drive. They do not drive as fast. They leave more distance to the cars in front. They are much less likely to drink and drive. Less likely to be distracted in the car. More likely to stop talking to their passengers when approaching junctions. Part of these adjustments are conscious many are instinctive. See Newsletter #26 "Drive until you are 100-carefully!

It turns out that we self-regulate when walking as well.

Ageing in Place

The research shows that people age better if they can do it in known surroundings. Within a home that they have lived in for many years. Within a community where they know people. They favour a physical environment with which they are familiar. They are less and less likely to become “tourists”. At any given age, there is huge variability, and some people still thrive on the stimulus of strange places. Policy makers look for insights to make urban environments more age friendly. This is not just about the placement of benches. It is also about the physical layout of town centers. About signage and “you are here” maps. How approachable they are mentally.

Walking is good for your health. The more the environment can encourage us to walk the better. Tourism can exist at the micro as well as macro scale. The decision to walk a little further and see what else is down a street. The decision to explore a new development in the neighborhood. The one that has converted the familiar to the unfamiliar.

A Simulated Walk

In an interesting study, researchers simulated two walks. One was through familiar streets, the other strange streets in a different town. In an immersive “reality tent” they projected still and moving images on the walls. This included a 30-minute walk through an unfamiliar town. Throughout they asked groups of older respondents about their wayfinding. Their navigation strategies. What landmarks they used and the role of signs, etc. . They also measured their anxiety levels when faced with different wayfinding tasks.

They took a sample of the respondents to that “strange town”. The town used in the simulation which was in another part of the UK. They gave these respondents a navigation task. They were asked to find their way to a particular place. They accompanied them. They interviewed them about how they found their way around and what made them anxious.

The self-regulation strategies for driving and walking are very similar. Strategically older people will pace their walking to stay inside their physical abilities. In familiar settings they know how long it will take to walk to the high street. In a strange town they search for signage that includes distances. Knowing that the Cathedral is “to the right” is much less useful than knowing it is 0.5ml. With unknown distances they are less likely to make the trip.

They use architectural landmarks more than the signs. These can be monuments and churches. They can also be familiar shops. “I would know a Marks & Spencer’s” anywhere. They will also try to avoid stimulus overload. If they are coping with a complex new environment it is more difficult if more is going on. If the streets are noisy and full of people. Even if the streets have a complex mixture of smells. The same issues and solutions used when driving.

Use it or Lose It

It was clear from the study that there was variation across the older people. They had different way-finding ability. Those that regularly ventured to new physical environments did much better. It is also known that age brings with it a narrowing of the “neighbourhood”. The area in which people are comfortable shrinks. This reduces the individual’s self-confidence and their independence. It reduces the amount of walking that they do. Cognitive decline and lack of exposure can make familiar places unfamiliar. Neighborhood planners need to increase the mental not just physical accessibility.

Self- Regulated Ageing

Our bodies, minds and senses evolve as we age. Self-regulation is our way of adapting to the changes. Self-regulation allows us to remain in control. We can maintain our sense of independence, our self-respect. We just need a little help from those that control the environments in which we live.